Bangladesh improves Starlink’s subcontinent prospects
July 7, 2026
By Chris Forrester
Bangladesh has granted permission to SpaceX’s Starlink broadband system to “export” its services to neighbouring countries. Those neighbouring nations could include India.
The approval allows Starlink to export International Private Leased Circuit (IPLC) links to carry unfiltered internet traffic from Bangladesh to neighbouring nations, marking the first time the government has formally permitted such an arrangement for a satellite internet provider.
The country’s Daily Star newspaper suggests that the approval is expected to position Bangladesh as a potential regional connectivity hub while also opening a new avenue for local telecom infrastructure companies to earn foreign currency from international bandwidth exports.
According to official documents seen by The Daily Star, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) recently granted the permission after securing approval from the Posts and Telecommunications Division (PTD).
The regulator sought the ministry’s approval in February following months of internal discussions, technical reviews, and correspondence with Starlink as well as international terrestrial cable (ITC) operators. Under the approval, the state-owned Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited (BSCCL) will be the primary supplier of the bandwidth.
Following the government approval, the BTRC formally notified Starlink in an email sent to Rebecca Hunter, director for global licensing and market activation at Starlink, granting the necessary regulatory clearance.
Starlink received its BTRC licence on April 29, 2025, to provide non-geostationary satellite orbit services in Bangladesh. The company launched commercial services in May and officially began operations on August 8, currently sourcing 80 Gbps of bandwidth from two international internet gateway operators for domestic use.
However, a recent Ookla report places Bangladesh among Asia-Pacific’s top performers on latency, but flags affordability as a barrier to mass adoption.
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